Spring 2011

Hello, Everyone:

I hope this beautiful spring day has caused the blood in your veins to speed up and give you lots of energy. I remember when I was a child down in Georgia, visiting my grandparents and numerous aunts and uncles, "spring fever" used to visit also. When Grandmom saw us just hanging around the house instead of outside playing or running through the woods, she'd mix up some concoction called "black draught tea". It was something the Indians used as a spring tonic. It was a black powder Grandmom mixed with a quart of spring water, shaken up until the water was a dark color. Grandmom called us all in and lined us up before making each one of us take two tablespoons of the tea. Ugh! It tasted awful! I found myself shaking my head with the nasty tasteing liquid, shivering all the way down to the floor. I thought I was going to throw up right there. It did the trick though. None of us kids stayed around the house after that, believe me! It wasn't long before the black draught tea gave us lots of energy...running to the outhouse! Pity the poor sibling who ran to the outhouse and found it already occupied. Then we headed for the woods or out behind the old barn. I'm so glad today there are vitamins and ex-lax if we need them.

The spring flowers are all in bloom now and dressing up the yard very nicely. The colors are spectacular in reds azaleas, yellow daffodiles, multi-colored phlox, purple, pink and white hyacinths, and little tiny grape hyacinths as well as the colorful crocuses. I love spring! To me it's the world awakening out of a long, cold sleep. Birds sing in the trees, squirrels run through the trees and then scrounge for hidden "treasures" from the fall before.

This past week I saw baby foals in the Country Life Farm pastures. New life heralds spring. Soon the does will be bringing out their new fawns to see the world they were born into. Birds are already nesting. God has blessed us all with another lovely season in which to praise Him. Hallelujah!